Fire Extinguishers

Fire Extinguishers
When selecting a fire extinguisher, read the label carefully to find out what kinds of fires it is made to extinguish. “ABC” or multipurpose extinguishers are effective on most small fires in the home. A “water can” extinguisher is good on most dry/solid objects, but should not be used on electrical or grease fires.

When operating an extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS , P ull, A im, S queeze, S weep. P ull the tab if there is one, a im the extinguisher at the base of the fire, s queeze the nozzle to activate it, and s weep it back and forth. Always keep your back to an exit so you can quickly escape if the fire can not be extinguished. Extinguishers are made with the directions printed on a label, some extinguishers may differ slightly so always follow the directions on the extinguisher. If the directions are missing or illegible the PASS system is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Pull the Pin

Squeeze the Handle

Sweep Across Base of Fire

Remember extinguishers are effective only if you know how to use them and only on small contained fires. A fire extinguisher will not extinguish an entire room and its contents. For larger fires or fires that are spreading quickly evacuate the home immediately and call 911 for help from the fire department. If you do have a fire in your home and use an extinguisher to put it out, you should still dial 911 and have a fire chief checkout the fire to make sure it is fully extinguished and that it did not spread to other area’s.

Nobody wants to think about the possibility of a fire happening in their home, but we all agree it’s much better to be safe than sorry. A small investment of your time and effort now is all it takes to protect your family from the dangers of fire. Keeping a small extinguisher in your vehicle is also highly recommended.